10 takeaways from the Travelers Championship

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CROMWELL — Bubba Watson won for the third time at the Travelers Championship, finishing 17-under par to edge Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler, J.B. Holmes and Paul Casey.

Here are the sights, sounds and observations from a dramatic final day at TPC River Highlands.

1. BUBBA DOES IT AGAIN: Bubba Watson became only the second golfer to win the Travelers Championship at least three times with his 7-under 63 on Sunday. The lefty made a late charge to overtake Paul Casey with five birdies on the back-nine. Billy Casper won a record four tournament titles between 1963 and 1973.

2. CASEY CRUMBLES: Paul Casey’s four-stroke advantage over Russell Henley matched the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history. That, however, didn’t translate into a victory. Casey’s game slowly fell apart after a birdie on the opening hole. Casey missed a 7-foot putt on 16 and put his tee shot in the water on 17. “It’s not that easy when you don’t have control of the golf ball,” he said.

3. CINK FINISHES WITH A FLOURISH: No player enjoyed a stronger start to the day than two-time tournament champion (1997 and 2008) Stewart Cink. Six birdies through seven holes put Cink right in the mix. Asked about his comfort level at TPC River Highlands, Cink raved about the speed of the greens. “Over four days it just adds up to pretty efficient golf here a lot of the years,” he said. “This week was a good example of that. I drove it well, I putted well for the most part, and today really everything kind of came together.”

4. MAKING HIS NAME KNOWN: What a week it was for Chase Seiffert. The 26-year-old Floridian made the most of his opportunity after qualifying with a course-record 63 at Ellington Ridge Country Club on Monday. Seiffert carded a 64 to finish at 12-under par, good for a tie for ninth. “I have no status on Tour,” he said. “I’ve been traveling around, doing all the Mondays. I’ve been close a lot. I got into the Web.com event in Raleigh and Mondayed in, but I have no status otherwise.”

5. INCONSISTENT SPIETH: Jordan Spieth insisted that his opening-round 63 — matched only by Zack Johnson — was more of a mirage than the real thing. Turns out he was right. Spieth never discovered the stroke that led to his 2017 title in Cromwell. Spieth attributed his uneven play (4-under for the tournament) to trying to do too much. “I’ve just got to be a little more patient and smarter,” he said.

6. RECEIVING THE HARDWARE: For the first time in recent memory, the championship trophy presentation took place somewhere other than the 18th green. With rain approaching, the Travelers moved the event inside the media center.

Paul Casey putts on hole 17 of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell on June 24, 2018.

Paul Casey putts on hole 17 of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell on June 24, 2018.

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

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Paul Casey putts on hole 17 of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell on June 24, 2018.

Paul Casey putts on hole 17 of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell on June 24, 2018.

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

10 takeaways from the Travelers Championship

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7. END OF THE DAY: Jason Day ended his tournament on a high note, sinking a chip shot from the rough from 37 feet to birdie 18. The shot drew one of the loudest roars of the day from the gallery.

8. OFF TO THE SUNSHINE STATE: After finishing in a tie for 12th at 11-under par, Rory McIlroy plans to head to Florida, where he’s currently building a house. His next event will be the Irish Open in early July. “Yeah, just not see the golf course until next weekend. I think that’s the plan,” he said.

9. SETTING GOALS: Watson said during his post-round press conference that his goal when he began his career was to get 10 wins. Turns out he set the bar too low. “I didn't think it was possible to get 10 wins. Then I get 10 wins and now I've got two more,” he said, smiling.

10. WHAT ABOUT NEXT YEAR?: Koepka, Spieth and McIlroy were non-committal when asked whether they would return for the 2019 tournament. All cited the fact that the U.S. Open will be held the week before at Pebble Beach in California. Watson, however, plans to defend his title. “It’ll be a nice comfy plane that gets me here fast,” he said, joking driving his RV cross-country would take too long.

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